# Religion of the Local Populace



## Zuu (Oct 15, 2008)

A few questions:

1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.

2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?

3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?

Answer as honestly as you can. Thank you. I'll go ahead and answer, I guess, as an example. 

1) No, I am not. (Please, this is not the place to start a flame war, so don't think about it -- don't post something like "hellz no I am teh atheists I hate Christians/Muslims/Jews/what have you".)

2) I would say around 85 to 90% of the students and teachers at my high school are some sort of Christian, most likely Baptist. The city I live in, I believe off the top of my head, has the highest concentration of Christians in the state. 2a) So, Christianity, obviously.

3) It doesn't hinder my lack of worship, but it is slightly uncomfortable when people assume you believe in their god, start a conversation based off that, and inform them that you don't believe the same way. Believe me - here, if you're not Christian, people either call you stupid, call you a Satanist, or make fun of you based on your beliefs (or in my case, they make fun of me for being so blind as to not accept Jesus of Nazareth as my savior).


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## surskitty (Oct 15, 2008)

1) I'm not religious in particular, but I do have some beliefs that could be considered religious kind of...?  I don't know, really.

2) Most people in my area practice various forms of Christianity, although there's enough of other groups for there to be at least two (Tibetan) buddhist temples nearby and apparently a mosque and synagogue somewhere in the area.

3) For the most part, no, but there're a few assholes who throw fits about it.  Not many.


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## EmeraldLeafBlade (Oct 15, 2008)

> 1) Are you religious?


No.



> 2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious?


Yes, as far as I can tell.



> 2a) what is the most popular religion?


Christianity, hands down. I don't think I know anyone who isn't Christian in real life, openly anyway.



> 3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable?


Not really. I don't care what people do as long as they don't hurt or force it on anyone. Although it does make me feel a bit awkward when a bunch of people at school, including the teacher, talk about things like Jesus and Heaven as if they were 100% true. Not everyone believes them...



> Do they try to shove their religion onto you?


Not really, and they're fine with me as long as they don't.



> Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?


I don't follow a religion, so no. I don't care what other people believe. Most people don't know I'm an atheist in real life, and  I don't ask or care about what people believe (although sometimes they make little mentions of it).


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## spaekle (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Nope, not religious. I'm an atheist.

2) The vast majority are Christians.

3) I'm not entirely open about being an atheist, but I'll admit it if it comes up. Just today, actually, I was part of a conversation between a few people where one person said they just can't understand why anyone would choose to be an atheist, but I didn't feel like a debate at the time so I just kept my mouth shut. All of the people I hang out with one a daily basis either are atheists like me, are wiccans/pagans/something similar, or are very open-minded, so I don't really have any problems in the friends department. 

...My family would probably raise hell if they found out though. They already thought I was worshipping Satan at some point or another and gave me this long talk about how THERE IS A GOD AND I BETTER WORSHIP HIM. :\


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## Zuu (Oct 15, 2008)

then what you do is you buy a can of red paint and draw a huge pentagram on your wall. and tape papers to the wall covered in hermetic scripts.


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## Retsu (Oct 15, 2008)

Not in the least.
I believe you may be looking for the word "region." And yes, definitely; a lovely little thing called Christianity dominates the lifestyles of many people here. (It annoys me to no end, frankly.) This also reflects in the area politically - I've seen _one_ "Obama/Biden" sign in my neighborhood and literally dozens of "McCain/Palin" signs. Maybe this is because the Obama supporters are less obnoxious about it. I can only hope.
If it does, I don't really care enough to notice. People know I'm openly an atheist and I probably come off as bitter towards the idea of religion - which, in all honestly, is probably true. One thing I find interesting is that most of my peers who consider themselves religious do not actually care all that much about religion; generally, people stay pretty open to people of other beliefs.


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## OrangeAipom (Oct 15, 2008)

1) No. I call myself atheist, but I'll change to ignostic when I feel like actually thinking about it. Most of the time, I don't.
2) I don't pay attention.
3) No, because I don't think about it.


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## Ayame (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Are you religious? 
Well, yes.  Pretty much Christianity, but I'm up to interpretations, and it's pretty bizarre.  I don't really go to church.
2) Christianity.  A branch that seems more..  fundamental than mine.
3) Well, I do, but my Christianity is sort of different than theirs.  It makes me feel awkward because a heck of a lot of people are conservative and stuff, sometimes homophobic.  And my friends tend to be not really religious or atheists.  Sometimes I don't ask; it's their choice and it's personal.  I think that anyone who wants to be religious should be what they want, but some people just aren't religious.  That's their personal choice, not yours.


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## Vladimir Putin's LJ (Oct 15, 2008)

1) yeah totally russian orthodox No, I'm an atheist.

2) According to polls, 40% of all Belgians are not religious. I'm inclined to believe this, as even in my class the religious/non-religious populace is pretty even. The most popular religions around here are probably Christianity and many of its knock-off religions and there are also many Jews around Antwerpen, I think.

3) No, I don't really care what people believe as long as they don't try to push it onto other people and worship in private. I'm not very fond of religious icons like crosses, turbans or other such things because I believe this could put the person wearing it in danger if they encounter someone radically opposed to their religion, and it could offend others.
I don't wear a Darwin fish everywhere I go, for example.
Only one of my good friends is Christian, but she believes in evolution, equal rights for all and other sensible things. I think she's religious only because her parents are, too.
The only religious person I have trouble with is a Protestant girl in my class who's a close-minded bitch.


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## Harlequin (Oct 15, 2008)

1) I'm not religious. 2) I think most people here default to "Christian" even if they've never been to church/actually though about their beliefs. 3) My lack of belief isn't hindered because people around here aren't particularly religious even if they profess a belief in some form of god.


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## GameFreakerZero (Oct 15, 2008)

1) No.

2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? Yes.

2a) A guesstimate on my part would place the populace of my school at about 50% Muslim, 40% Christian, 10% other.

3) No, pretty much the only 'uncomfortable' things that occur are some spontaneous arguments about whether homosexuality is right or not, which I've generally tried to avoid getting into.


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## Zeph (Oct 15, 2008)

1) No.
2) No.
3) Obviously not.

Simplicity :D


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## Minish (Oct 15, 2008)

1) I wouldn't say so. I'm not theist, and I'm not atheist because I find it way too narrow-minded. I do have a few personal bits and bobs in my head... but they're more like theories, or little private religious things I have.
But really, I neither believe nor disbelieve in any religion, really. I AM fond of the idea that the only 'god' is the Earth/Mother Nature etc., and also that there are many different gods/spirits inside things etc. trees, animals etc.

Also the religion in Chronicles of Ancient Darkness is just awesome. 8D

2) No. It's considered a little unusual if you're a Christian, and it would be considered very strange if you were of another religion. I imagine if anyone came out in the open that they were religious, especially not Christianity, they'd get a lot of 'innocent', sarcastic annoying questions.

3) Nope. I don't have a problem with people who have been raised as say, Christians, and then are confused when it turns out that not everyone is Christian after all. If they truly aren't moronic... morons, I don't REALLY mind it when people 'push' religion on you if they really are actually intelligent... and just really do believe they're right. I do however have a problem with religious people _campaigning_ against things like say, same-sex marriages on the basis of their religion. That's just ridiculous~

It wouldn't make me uncomfortable, either; as long as people keep their religions to themselves and accept that other people don't share their ideas and that it's in THEIR head, not someone ELSE'S head and it's unfair to try and tell them their ideas, then that's fine. I can't really make much of a comment here, having not had the experience of being surrounded by lots of religion. It seems really strange to me that more than about 5-10% would be religious. XD

Equally, I hate atheists that proclaim that all religion is rubbish and they're all wrong. You're just as bad as the religious people that try to shove their holy books down your gob. D<


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## Jetx (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Are you religious? 
No

2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious?

Not really. Only a couple of my friends come from religious families, and that would be Christianity, naturally. Most aren't religious, though.

3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?

Anyone would find somebody pushing their beliefs onto them frustrating, and I'm not different. Luckily it doesn't happen too much.


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## Butterfree (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.

2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?

3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?

*Are you religious?*
No. I'm an atheist and have always been, unless you count the god I made up when I was three or four years old (whose personal agent I was and who was "God's" (i.e. the Christian one's) bitter rival).

*Are the people you live near mostly religious?*
Not really. Icelanders are mostly either atheists or pretty casual believers. There is an extremist church or two, but one mostly just knows of them rather than experiencing their presence.

*Does their worship hinder yours (or lack thereof)?*
Nope. See above.


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## Murkrow (Oct 15, 2008)

*1) Are you religious?*

No

*2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?*

The people I actually know are mostly Atheists. If any of them are religious they don't really talk about it or show it. Most popular religion is Christianity though. There are a few Catholic schools within walking distance from my house.

*3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)?*
No, but my school kinda forces people to be Christian, I mean like, if you're a different religion, that's fine, but if your Atheist you have to take part in all of the religious stuff the school does.


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## Tailsy (Oct 15, 2008)

1) *Are you religious?*
No.

2) *Are the people you live near to mostly religious?*
Yes.
2a) *What is the most popular religion?*
Christianity - Catholic & Protestant, although we do have a lot of minority religions kicking about due to immigration. Diversity is nice. :3

3) *Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?*
Uh, no. I don't make my (lack of) religion obvious to everyone I meet, so it doesn't hinder me whatsoever. If it did I'd simply not talk to those people. :S


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## Cryssie (Oct 15, 2008)

*1)* No. Very atheist. Am probably a tad bitter about religion, like AK.

*2)* Nah. Maybe I just don't get out enough (quite possible), but while some flavour of Christianity - probably Catholic - is probably most widespread on paper, I'm not sure I've ever met very many people who truly gave a monkeys.

*3)* Their worship doesn't hinder my lack of, no. Well, actually... school masses and prayer (and the way they'd bring religion into everything) used to bug the hell out of me, if that counts. Pushing religion on me is one very effective way to infuriate me.

In terms of how religious beliefs affect my ability to relate to others, hmm. I don't exactly ask everyone I meet what they believe, so usually I don't even know what they believe. If I know someone _is_ (or isn't) religious, I can't help but make certain judgements based on that (_very_ generally: "religious" makes me think "weak-minded", "atheist" makes me think "free-thinker") - in the context of what else I know about the person and depending on how fanatical they are about it, of course.


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## opaltiger (Oct 15, 2008)

> I'm not atheist because I find it way too narrow-minded.


I'm sorry, I have to address this. _the only thing_ "atheism" means is lack of belief in a god. Nothing else. How is this supposed to be narrow-minded _at all?_

Anyway.

1. No.
2. I have no idea. I am pretty oblivious about such things and tend to assume everyone is atheist, too (which has yet to land me in trouble). Somewhere around 35% of Slovenians are nonreligious, too.
3. See above.


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## Music Dragon (Oct 15, 2008)

*1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.*

I'm technically an agnostic, although I prefer to call myself "atheist". The thing is, God might exist for all I know, but He almost surely doesn't.

*2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?*

Sweden is a secular country. We do have quite a few Christians here and there, and we also get a lot of Muslim immigrants... The Christians are usually Protestants, by the way.

That said, a lot of people hide their religion. (See below.)

*3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?*

You know, I've always found it very fascinating - and a little frightening - that the situation in Sweden is pretty much a complete opposite of the situation in the US. In Sweden, you're quite likely to get bashed for being Christian, but nobody gives a damn if you're an atheist. Well, I mean, most people are mature enough not to pick on you for something that silly, but it happens...

And it's even worse for Muslims. I guess people associate Islam with terrorism and violence and things like that. Girls who have to conceal their hair tend to have a hard time, too.

I usually don't come across any religious people - not that I know of, anyway, since a lot of people hide their religion (because, like I said, there are plenty of people who look down on theists) - although even if I did, I don't think it would matter much. And fortunately, the hostility between atheists and religious believers slowly dies as people mature.


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## Time Psyduck (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.

_Technically agnostic, although I tend to think there may be a God somewhere_

2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?

_It varies wildly, incorporating atheists, Christians, There is an 'Earth Religions' Group here (Buddhists, Wiccans, ect.), I knew a few Muslims before I moved and I know there were more_

3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?

_Very few people push religions, and everyone seems nice and friendly. Mostly everyone ignores everyone else._


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## goldenquagsire (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Atheist. Can find absolutely no reason to believe in anything spiritual.

2) The local area? London's too big an area to use as a sample, and it's incredibly varied anyway. Christians of all denominations, Muslims, a small surviving Jewish population, Hindus and all the misc. stuff. A better sample would be the borough of Southwark, which I live in. I'm not exactly sure, but it's probably mostly either Church of England or areligious, with Islam coming up as the third largest. As far as my school is concerned, the majority seem to be Atheist.

3) I rarely even notice anyones' religious beliefs; the local area is pretty tolerant, and churches don't seem to have much influence around here. I've never had beliefs forced on me or been ostracised for my Atheism, although I have got into religious debates on a few occasions.


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## Involuntary Twitch (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Are you religious? *I'm agnostic. There might be something out there, and if there is I hope to god that it takes pity on me when I die. Can you tell what is wrong with that sentence?[size] I also celebrate major Christian holidays with my family and jewish ones with my extended family (since my dad is jewish.)*

2) Are the people you live near mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion? *I live in a very ethnically diverse region, so there's tons of different beliefs. Most notable is judaism*

3) Does their worship hinder yours? *Not at all. =D We got a day off last week for Yom Kippur-- I'm snug as a bug in a rug. The closest it gets to hindering my life is when a) jewish girls on my soccer team can't come to games because they have bat mitzfahs every weekend, or b) when my christian friend was going all ballistic at my birthday party when my very atheist friend was batmouthing religion.*


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## Not Meowth (Oct 15, 2008)

*1) Are you religious? *
No.

*2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious?*
Not really; I don't really recall having ever met anyone I know to be religious within my local area. But then, apparently England as a whole is becoming a less and less religious country. So yeah.

*
3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?*
N/A- see above.


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## EvilCrazyMonkey (Oct 15, 2008)

1) No. Atheism.
2) Yes. Most people (and by most, I mean >90%) of people here are Christian, and a vast majority of them are Catholic.
3) They can, but usually don't.


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## #1 bro (Oct 15, 2008)

1) No. 
2) It depends what you mean by "area". If you mean county/city/region, it's mostly Christianity with a bit of Judaism. If you mean my neighborhood, or a more immediate area, then mostly Judaism with a bit of Christianity. 
3) Not in the least.

EDIT:



Time Psyduck said:


> 1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.
> _Technically agnostic, although I tend to think there may be a God somewhere_


Wait, what? Weren't you the one arguing in the Homosexuality thread that homosexuality was evil because it was a tool of Satan, and that God hated homosexuals? Did you have an epiphany, or something?


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## Time Psyduck (Oct 15, 2008)

Zeta Reticuli said:


> Wait, what? Weren't you the one arguing in the Homosexuality thread that homosexuality was evil because it was a tool of Satan, and that God hated homosexuals? Did you have an epiphany, or something?


Why am I not surprised this came up. I was on a 'theistic' day at the time. I slide around a bit, but right now I'm at 'don't know'. Plus that's not what I said, but I've abandoned the Debating Hall now as I can't seem to make a point without restating it twice.


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## Aenrhien (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Are you religious?
- I'm agnostic.

2) Are the people you live near mostly religious?
- Yes.
2a) what is the most popular religion?
- Christianity.

3) Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)?
- Not at all.
Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable?
- Again, not at all.
Do they try to shove their religion onto you?
- Every chance they get.
Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?
- I can't say I notice any difference between the religious bunch and the non-religious ones.


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## Flora (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Yes. (I'm all alone. ^^) 1a) Roman Catholic (Not that I agree with everything that the Church says, specifically on subjects like abortion and homosexuality.)

2) School most definitely, not sure about anything else.

3) No.


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## Blastoise Fortooate (Oct 15, 2008)

> 1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.


Well, it's kind of hard to explain. I'm Christian, but with a reasonable amount of scientific logic thrown in. Example: Don't believe in Adam/Eve thing. Or Noah's Ark. I take them figuratively.



> 2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?


Yes, they are. They're almost completely Christian, but there is this one atheist I met...



> 3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?


This is tough, since I'm the same religion as the majority, just not as conservative. It get's a little annoying with a few people, who mostly wonder why I support Teh Theory of Evolution. EDIT: Oh, yeah, and homosexuality. Which leads to a bunch of people asking me if I'm gay, which I'm not.


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## Ambipom (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.

I am a Catholic, but I don't agree with some things like abortion or homosexuality, like Flora.

2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?

Most people around here are either Christan or Catholic, although there are a few Jewish people or people with diffrent religons.

3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?

No, not at all. One of my best friends is a diffrent religon, but that doesn't mean anything. He doesn't force it on me or vice versa. Sometimes I'll tell him about Christmas and he'll tell me about Hanukkah and I'll learn something new.


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## Diz (Oct 15, 2008)

1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.

2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?

3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you


I'm a Catholic, But most of the people around here are Amish...And yes, they do a hinder us. Because of their reluctance to enter the 18th century, tons of tourists flock to our town to stare at them in their 5 mph buggies. Pulled by horses, hence the 5 mph. Our roads are also covered in horse crap. I hate it.


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## ___urnamz2longfixit___ (Oct 15, 2008)

*Are you religious?*

Depends on how you look at it. I'm unofficially an atheist and officially a Catholic. I have no faith in the Catholic church whatsoever but I'm too scared to admit that to my family as I'm not sure how they'd take the news. They're not exactly religious fanatics but I don't think they'd be too pleased by the fact that I'm disowning the way they brought me up. Meh, my choice, I guess. I go to mass with them every Sunday but I'm not really feeling any faith towards my supposed religion at all. I suppose I can classify myself as someone who isn't religious, then. 

*Are the people you live near mostly religious?*

Yes. I live in the center of an urban city filled with people who've migrated from other countries and people who've been brought up and can't stand up for their own beliefs. We have Muslims, Jews, Christians, Catholics and more.

*Does their worship hinder yours (or lack thereof)?*

No. For one, I haven't admitted to too many people that I'm an atheist so I don't see why anyone would pressure me into joining their religion or make me feel like an outcast because I'm not part of their religion. Even then, my friends and people in my community tend to mind their own business. If you're part of their faith, that's great. They're not going to push their beliefs onto you.

We have Jehovah's Witnesses for that, after all.


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## Jason-Kun (Oct 16, 2008)

I'm just going to adress one thing before I start.



Ambipom said:


> Most people around here are either Christan or Catholic, although there are a few Jewish people or people with diffrent religons.


Catholics _are_  Christians. They're just a different branch from Protestant.

*1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.*

I am a Protestant Seventh-Day Adventist Christian with his own personal beliefs concerning Christianity.

*2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?*

Yes, people mhere are either a Christian of some sort or Atheist. Though yes, Cristianity is the dominate religion.

* Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?*

No, since I do follow the Christian religion. What bothers me though are the Christians who get upset with me because I don't interpret the fourth commandment the same way as them nor like church very much and those extreme ones who say that because I like Pokemon and Harry Potter, I can't beleve in God. That's where I get annoyed as my interest should have nothing to do with my religion, if you want my honest opinion.


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## Adnan (Oct 16, 2008)

1)Yes 
1a)Islam

2)No
2a)Christianity

3)Yeah they shove their religion in my face. No, I don't really mind their worship but I'm sure a lot of Muslims do. I find it easy to get along with everyone.


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## Dannichu (Oct 16, 2008)

1) Yes
1a) Some form of Christianity; I'm just not entirely sure which. Still searching X3

2) At home, the older population tend to hold religious beliefs but those my my generation don't, but here at uni there are lots of religious people. 
2a) The vast majority of people my age back home are either atheists or Christians (typically CofE or Catholic), but at uni there's an absolutely massively diverse mix - Kent probably has the most international students of any British uni, so we've got people from all cultures and backgrounds. 

3) I've never been bothered (offline) by anyone who shares a different belief to me.
Personally, I love meeting people of different religions because what a person belives in is such a big part of who they are and (typically) what culture they're from, and talking about it with them helps me understand both them and where they come from better.
I don't think I could be friends with someone who couldn't respect my choice of belief, but offline, that's never been an issue.


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## Ether's Bane (Oct 16, 2008)

1) Are you religious?

Well, on one hand, I do believe in God, but on the other hand, I don't really know which religion I can decide upon for myself.

1a) What religion do you follow?
See above.

2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious?

Yes.

If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?

In my city, about 50% Islam, 25% Buddhist, 15% Christian (Protestant), 10% whatever else. (read: Hindu or Catholic) (Yes, there are pretty much no atheists here; atheism is actually frowned upon, though not outlawed, in my country.)

3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?

Sometimes.


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## Minish (Oct 16, 2008)

opaltiger said:


> I'm sorry, I have to address this. _the only thing_ "atheism" means is lack of belief in a god. Nothing else. How is this supposed to be narrow-minded _at all?_


Because you're saying there DEFINITELY isn't a god. As in, there is no possibility whatsoever.


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## Jolty (Oct 16, 2008)

1) Athiest even though I did make up my own daft religion for fun

2) Most people I know aren't very religious... but there are quite a few Christians and quite a few Muslims about

3) Nobody shoves anything on me or is bothered by my lack of religion


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## Harlequin (Oct 16, 2008)

Cirrus said:


> Because you're saying there DEFINITELY isn't a god. As in, there is no possibility whatsoever.


No, atheism says "There's not enough evidence for the god hypothesis and there's a lot more that makes the whole thing seem highly unlikely so, beyond all reasonable doubt, I must consider the god hypothesis a failed one."

It doesn't say "I believe God isn't real 'cause."


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## Time Psyduck (Oct 16, 2008)

Harlequin said:


> It doesn't say "I believe God isn't real 'cause."


Some people say this, or at least sound like they do


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## see ya (Oct 16, 2008)

*1) Are you religious? *

Nope. Atheist. I don't entirely deny the existence of a God, but I do think it's very unlikely. 

*2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? 
*
Yes. Very yes. 

*If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?*

All forms of Christianity, but mostly Baptist. 
*
3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?
*
That kind of depends. About half of the people I tell seem to be pretty okay with it, and I have plenty of Christian friends. But then again, I've had a lot tell me that I'm going to Hell and try their damnedest to convert me. I'm not really bothered by it, but I do find it extremely patronizing when people say they're okay with my choice, but they'll still "pray for my soul". I have no problem with Christianity itself, but some of its followers can get very irritating.


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## Harlequin (Oct 16, 2008)

Time Psyduck said:


> Some people say this, or at least sound like they do


Then they're stupid for not having a proper reason.


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## #1 bro (Oct 16, 2008)

Cirrus said:


> Because you're saying there DEFINITELY isn't a god. As in, there is no possibility whatsoever.


well, the standard explanation for this is:

If I asked you if fairies exist, or if Santa Claus exists, what would you say? Probably "of course not". Now, if I asked you "Are you absolutely, 100% certain that there is no way there is a such thing as fairies?" you would probably say something to the effect of "well, technically I guess there's a very, very, very slim chance that there _could_ be fairies, but for realistic purposes, no, fairies do not exist"

Most atheists believe that there is the same chance of a god or gods existing as the chance of fairies existing. That is to say, it's impossible to be absolutely certain about whether either of the two exists, but if someone asked me "Do fairies exist?" or "Does God exist?" for both questions, I would say "No."


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## Sandstone-Shadow (Oct 16, 2008)

_1) Are you religious?_ No. I guess I believe in a god, but more so of a god that just watches over, not someone who created everything. I have a hard time believing that the earth was created by someone, with all the scientific evidence that supports other theories.

_2) Are the people you live near mostly religious?_ For the most part I don't know, but I would be able to name a handful of people who are religious. What religion they follow, however, I have no idea. xD

_3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)?_ No.

_Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable?_ Sometimes just a little bit. One of my best friends is part of this youth group, and the youth group has lock-ins every once in a while at their church. She invites me to these, and I like to go because they're so much fun, and despite it being mostly church people, it's not based on religion at all. But there's still mentions of it here and there, and we pray before we eat and such. It doesn't really bother me, but it sort of sets me on edge just a bit, like I'm instinctively trying to prepare myself against some sort of religious attack if it were to come. xD; 

_Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?_ No and no.


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## Ayame (Oct 16, 2008)

Zeta Reticuli said:


> well, the standard explanation for this is:
> 
> If I asked you if fairies exist, or if Santa Claus exists, what would you say? Probably "of course not". Now, if I asked you "Are you absolutely, 100% certain that there is no way there is a such thing as fairies?" you would probably say something to the effect of "well, technically I guess there's a very, very, very slim chance that there _could_ be fairies, but for realistic purposes, no, fairies do not exist"
> 
> Most atheists believe that there is the same chance of a god or gods existing as the chance of fairies existing. That is to say, it's impossible to be absolutely certain about whether either of the two exists, but if someone asked me "Do fairies exist?" or "Does God exist?" for both questions, I would say "No."


Ooh, that's a really good explanation, but it reminds me of when I gradually figured out that there was no Santa.  *sigh*


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## Cabon (Oct 17, 2008)

*1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.*

Umm... Somewhat. I was raised a Catholic, but I don't do many of the things a Catholic's supposed to do, like go to church every week or confess my sins to a priest. I do celebrate typical Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter, though, and I don't eat meat on Good Friday.
I don't believe in God the way most Christians do, either. I mean, I believe there's someone out there who's responsible for all that we know and don't know, but he isn't necessarily a Trinity in one person.

*2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?*

I think most of them aren't, but I do know one or another tradicionalist Catholic, and I have many Jewish friends and classmates.

*3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?*

No, although loud religious people annoy me a bit. D:


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## voltianqueen (Oct 17, 2008)

*Are you religious?*

No.

*2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?*

Yes, mostly Christians.

*3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?*

Usually people won't try to push it on me, but occasionally my neighbor will make some rude remark about us being bad people and not going to church. She doesn't come right out and say it, but that's generally what she's getting at. XP
It doesn't really make me uncomfortable because I'm not really open about my beliefs. It's not a problem when I make friends.

Which reminds me, my teacher is a big-time Christian, and someone in class today called him close-minded and biased, and whoa. I've never seen him that angry. o.o


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## Stormecho (Oct 17, 2008)

1) Are you religious? 

Nope. :P Atheism until I figure out what exactly I want to believe in. For now, I'm willing to 

2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?

Mainly Christians, with quite a few Hundu and Buddhist groups. 

3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?

Nope. My school, though it's catholic, accepts all religions as long as we all respect each others'. So, no shoving the Bible down my throat. =D Even though most of my friends are christian, there's no conflict.


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## Zhorken (Oct 17, 2008)

Cirrus said:


> Because you're saying there DEFINITELY isn't a god. As in, there is no possibility whatsoever.


this is false



Harlequin said:


> No, atheism says "There's not enough evidence for the god hypothesis and there's a lot more that makes the whole thing seem highly unlikely so, beyond all reasonable doubt, I must consider the god hypothesis a failed one."


this is false



Harlequin said:


> It doesn't say "I believe God isn't real 'cause."


this is true

Atheism says "I don't believe any god is real."  That's *all*.  Atheists may have much more complicated views on the subject, but that's irrelevant.

n.b. that there is an important semantic difference between "I don't believe any god is real" and "I believe no god is real"; a passive lack of belief is a form of atheism.  "I believe no god is real" is a different (and much more common) form of atheism.




Stormecho said:


> Atheism until I figure out what exactly I want to believe in.


Reality doesn't work on poetic sense and want-to-believes.  :(  Atheism makes _sense_.  And the world's plenty beautiful the way it is!  A lot of people are terrible, but the world has improved enough that it's easily possible to get by and be happy despite them.  Things get better as you gain more freedoms; don't expect life to improve itself, but if you know what you want to do, it's generally possible, and if you don't, chances are you can figure it out as you go along.


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## Not Meowth (Oct 17, 2008)

Cirrus said:


> Because you're saying there DEFINITELY isn't a god. As in, there is no possibility whatsoever.


Theism says there DEFINITELY _is_ a God. As in, there is no possibility whatsoever of there not being one.

Which is equally as narrow minded, surely.


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## Harlequin (Oct 17, 2008)

Zhorken said:


> this is false
> 
> 
> this is false
> ...


well okay the quotation you quoted was false but it's what most atheists believe!


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## ultraviolet (Oct 22, 2008)

*1) Are you religious? *

Nope.

*2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? *

Eh, I wouldn't say mostly religious, because most people I know aren't. But I'd probably say that Christianity/Cathlocism is the most popular.

*
3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?*

It doesn't bother me; No they don't; No, it doesn't bother me (why would it?).


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## Alexi (Oct 23, 2008)

1) Yes, I am Wiccan. 

2) Yeah, I'd say, and they're all some kind of Christain. 

3) Let's see...If my parents knew, they'd destroy me. People at my church preach to me about Jesus ALL THE TIME because they don't think I know enough about him. (I never go into the building itself, I just chill around the campus, usually doing homework or reading.) But aside from church and family, most of my non-Wiccan friends are cool with it.


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## Storm Earth and Fire (Oct 23, 2008)

1. Yes. Theravada Buddhism.
2. The most common are Christians of varying levels, from regular churchgoers to Christians in name only or Christians of convenience.
3. Nope. Though Chrisitian churches are most common, we have a rapidly growing Asian community, so there are more than enough Buddhist temples, amoung other places of worship that aren't quite as common (but I'm quite sure are there), and my favorite, Asian Christian churches. Hasn't hindered me from making friends, since many of the young folk are the sort of (insert religion here) of convenience, atheistic, agnostic, Jewish, or varying levels of Christian, just never conservative. Actually, a lot of the Christians find Buddhism very fascinating. My previous high school had almost plurality of East Asians and South Asians, so there were a lot of Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. I have actually been to church (as in Sunday service/Bible study) twice in my life, found it very easy to fit in, though this maybe due to the inherent openess of the Vedic faiths.


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## Zora of Termina (Oct 23, 2008)

* 1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.

*Nah, not really all that religious. I mean, I'll SAY I believe in God when my parents are around, but if it's anyone else I tell them the truth: That I don't know WHAT I am.
*
2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?*

I don't usually pay attention to other people, but I have reason to believe that most of them are in name only Christians, atheists or other.

 At school (regular school) the majority of my class says they're Christian to appease the autistic girl in our class(She CRIES if you say you don't believe in God ><), but I don't know the religion of any one of them except for her and another guy in my class, who is openly atheist. 

At tech they're mostly casual believers, like three atheists and I sit next to two Wiccans. Their discussions get kinda creepy though, but I find it mildly interesting.

* 3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?

*Well, not at tech as that's like my safe haven from religion. Everywhere else, yes. My parents kinda force me to be Christian (For example: "FUCK YOU YOU'RE GOING TO CHURCH WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT"), my dad's side of the family is pretty big on religion, mostly Grandma, and I have to pretend to be for the aforementioned autistic girl. 

It does kinda make me uncomfortable, especially when Mom thinks she can make me go to church/that youth group. I never feel comfortable there at all, and I got blown up at the last time I tried to explain that to her. :[


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## Icalasari (Oct 24, 2008)

*1) Are you religious? If so, 1a) What religion do you follow or 1b) if it's a personal religion describe it.*

Eh... I am more of an agnostic/VERY casual Christian. Basically, if there is a god out there, I don't think they give a crap. And with the stuff I have been reading from the Bible (X3 It is actually quite entertaining), if it did care, then we would have all died YEARS ago XD

*2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?*

Christianity runs rampant here. Oddly enough, this is also one of the whitest cities out there that still has other races

Anyways, I know Christianity runs rampant here because, well, even when we didn't count as a city, we had... I think it was at LEAST five churches... Lets see... Two on main street, one on the road between Edmonton Trail and Main Street... Several others sprinkled here and there... Yeah, it is redundant

*3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?*

They may run rampant, but almost everyone is open minded. For example, right in my SCHOOL, I know of an Atheist and a Mormon who both openly admit that they are so, and nobody heckles them. They just shrug and move on. Although the school still forces them to go to mandatory masses (then again, you expect that from a Catholic school)

A few are a little more religious though. When I told one of the staff members at the school about me thinking that God doesn't give a damn, they said that they would change my mind somehow and would pray for me. Not even the religion teacher is like that (heck, the religion teacher is actually pretty laid back with religion XD)


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## Old Catch (Oct 24, 2008)

*1) Are you religious? *

I'm atheist. 

*2) Are the people you live near (as in the county, area... uh, can't think of what you'd call it, but NOT the nation) mostly religious? *Most of them are very religious.



*If so, 2a) what is the most popular religion?*

Christian... um, Baptist, I think.

*3) Let's say you don't follow their religion. Does their worship hinder yours (or your lack of)? Does it bother you or make you uncomfortable? Do they try to shove their religion onto you? Do you find it hard to make friends or relate to other people when the majority are following a different religion than you?*
Their worship doesn't bother me. My lack of religion bothers them. Yes, they try to force it down my throat. It's easier to befriend someone that is also atheist.

I live in a pretty non-tolerant region.


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